Good to see the William Webb Ellis myth is alive (Rugby gets its moment, Sport, 19 September). It was deliberately invented by rugby union authorities in about 1900. They were troubled by the rising popularity of the association code and wanted people to believe rugby was a more evolved form of football. In reality both emerged in public schools out of folk football, all forms of which allow some handling. Ellis was vaguely remembered as a cheating sort, who took part in the illegal practice of “running in” after legally catching the ball.
John Cregan
Farnham, Surrey
• I’ve always thought that the best English reply to the haka (Letters, 22 September) would be the hokey cokey. Bit of easy action to learn and a brilliantly apposite lyric.
Geoffrey Brace
Wellington, Somerset
• When the spokesman of the Rail Delivery Group says that the rail network benefits from a “winning combination of private sector competition and government funding” (Labour to make renationalisation of railways first key policy of new era, 21 September), what they mean is public money for private profit.
Professor David Stephens
Brighton, East Sussex
• After Bullingdon and now this funny business at Piers Gaveston (The revenge of Lord Ashcroft, 22 September), could any self-respecting parent with a son or daughter at Oxford sleep easily?
John Bailey
St Albans, Hertfordshire
• In the photo showing Mr Osborne taking a selfie with his arm around a young Chinese lady (Report, 21 September) they were posing in front of a massage parlour in Beijing. Not the most appropriate setting, surely.
James Turnbull
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
• Good to see nominative determinism alive and well in Warrington with Rev Canon Parish (Letters, 21 September).
Peter Quinn
Helperby, North Yorkshire
